11/5/09 – Kellie Woolever (16) of the Wilson High girls volleyball team leaps for the ball during the final match of the Moore League schedule Thursday night at Poly. Wilson went on to beat Poly 3-1.
Photo by Steven Georges/Press-Telegram
Steven.Georges@PressTelegram.com

Wilson High girls volleyball coach Susan Pescar typically would be indifferent to a first-round bye in the postseason. But with two players nursing injuries, and the grief the team and school has experienced from the recent shooting death of track athlete Melody Ross, the two extra days are welcome.

The Bruins were one of three area teams to receive top-four seeds when the CIF-Southern Section playoff pairings were announced Sunday.

The Moore League champions are seeded fourth in Division I-AA and on Thursday will play either Newbury Park – the second-place team from the Marmonte League – or Edison (No.3 Sunset League) in the second round.

Los Alamitos is seeded second in Division I-AA, and on Tuesday, the Sunset League co-champion Griffins will play host to Chaminade, the third-place team from the Mission League. Top-seeded Newport Harbor, which shared the Sunset League title with Los Al, received the other first-round bye as both byes in the division came in the upper half of the bracket.

Cerritos received the No.3 seed in Division III-A. The Suburban League champion Dons on Tuesday will play host to Montebello in the first round.

Setter Rebecca Strehlow of Wilson has a sore ankle and defensive specialist Candace Nicholson has a sore Achilles. Ross, a junior pole vaulter, was an innocent bystander when she was hit by a stray bullet during gang violence that took place after Wilson’s Homecoming football game against Poly on Oct. 30 at Wilson.

Ross had several friends on the volleyball team.

“Getting a bye gives you a chance for your players to get a little more rest,” Pescar said, “and then with everything they have been through the last two weeks, the trauma of that …”

Pescar said her team had already dedicated its season to the loss last school year of Wilson principal Diane Brown, who died of cancer.

“And now they have added in Melody Ross,” Pescar said.

Although Los Al tied with Newport Harbor for the Sunset League title, the Griffins enter as the No.2 team from the league because Newport Harbor needed just four games to beat them Oct.13 and it took Los Al five games to dispatch the Sailors in the rematch Oct.29.

“I think the win over Newport Harbor was a big confidence builder and will hopefully set the tone for the way we need to play in the playoffs because we are going to have to play that way all the way through,” Los Al coach Dave Huber said.

In other first-round Division I-AA games, Lakewood (No.2 Moore League) will play host to Thousand Oaks (No.3 Marmonte); Poly (No.3 Moore) will travel to Capistrano Valley (No.2 South Coast); and Millikan (No.4 Moore) will be at Murrieta Valley (No.1 Southwestern).

Cerritos has been on a roll all season under Coach Khanh Vo.

“I don’t know much about Montebello, so I can’t really tell you if I’m happy or not,” Vo said of the draw. “But at this time, I’m happy about the way we’re playing. Last year a lot of my players were first-year varsity players, and this year they just came with that extra year of experience.”

Warren and Downey shared the San Gabriel Valley League title, but the Bears enter as the top seed from the league by virtue of their second-round win over the Vikings. Warren will play host to Templeton (No.4 Los Padres) in Division III-AA. Downey will host Diamond Ranch (No.3 Miramonte), Gahr (No.3 San Gabriel Valley) will travel to Quartz Hill (No.2 Golden), and Paramount (at-large San Gabriel Valley) will be at Santa Ynez (No.1 Los Padres).

In Division III-A, Mayfair (No.2 Suburban) will play host to Western (No.2 Orange), La Mirada (No.3 Suburban) will be at San Gabriel (No.1 Almont), and Glenn (No.4 Suburban) will travel to Gabrielino (No.1 Mission Valley).

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